Flying machine



w. RlE SELER ET AL FLYING MACHINE Feb, 23, 1932. Y

Original Filed Jan '8; 1927 Z I I :1; I 1'3 Jaren/or:

Re iuu e cl eb. 23, 1 932 wAL'rnn museum. AND warren xanrsnn, or nnnnm-aonanmsrnan, GERMANY,

ABSIGNORS TO B. BURKE WILFOBD, OI MERION, PENNSYLVANIA rLYIne MACHINE Original No. 1,777,608, dated October 7, 1980, Serial No. 159,848, flied January 8, 1927, and. in Germany I January 23, 1928. Application for reissue flied June 18, 1931. Serial No'. 545,362.

Our invention relates to aircraft and more particularly to aircraft provided with aeroynamically rotated wings, .generally designated as gyroplane.

It is an object of means whereby the lack of lateral equilibing fixed wings is not in inherent lateral equilibrium owing to the differential lift de- 1 rived from diametrically o posite wings of the sustaining element.

pensated or except y tilting the entire craft through a suitable angle, which is in general not practical because it would destroy the vertical equilibrium. This undesirable characteristic is incidentto the fact that on one side of the aircraft the velocity of proplusion of the aircraft is added to the velocit of the rotation'of wings, while on the ot er side of the aircraft it must be subtracted therefrom and the wings on the two sides are therefore 0 erating under different conditions, and t erefore have different effective lift components.

The creation of such differential lift and the attendant absence of lateral equilibrium is avoided according to the present invention by arranging diametrically oposite wings for common angular adjustment about a horizontal axis by aerodynamic action. In pracare arranged radially about a substantially vertical axis, these wings are combined in two pairs, each wing of a pair being mounted on a common su' portin member, which i is free to oscillate a out its on 'tudinal axis so as to be capable of angular a uStment under aerodynamic action when the wings rotate about the vertical axis through reaction from the air. The wings are mounted on the supporting member in such a manner that our invention to provideuch differential lift causes a tilting moment which, in the [fixed wing type of g roplane, cannot be comthis member is arranged with its axis in front of the center of pressure or center of lift of each wing of a pair. With this arrangement, if the aircraft moves into the wind, aerodynamic action starts the wings rotating about their common substantially vertical axis, and that wingof a pair of wings which has the greater resultant velocity, and also therefore a greater lift, will in consequence of the pressure acting on the center of pressure or center of lift of this wing cause it to swing or oscillate on the horizontal. axis of the supportmg member so as to assume a smaller or a-negative angle of incidence whereby its lift will be automatically reduced; Simultaneously the diametrically opposite wing of the pair, being rigidly connected to the wing thus adjusted and having a lower resultant velocity and therefore a smaller component of lift, is thereby swung or oscillated on the horizontal axis to assume a greater anglexof' incidence and to effect a consequentl greater lift whereby the diifer ence in the lifts of the two Wings of a air is automatically compensated and is su stan-. tially equalized.

It. may be stated that the attitude of any blade is determined by a balancing of the torques on the shaft carrying the blade. Thus a left hand torque, (for instance) is brought lade under discussion by one 7 to act upon the means, such perhaps as the shaft upon which it is mounted, and right hand torque is brought to act upon it by some other means,

such as by the air striking the blade,which latter torque is resisted by the torque exerted-by the shaft. Therefore the an ular position of the bladeis determined b t e balance of the two torques acting on-said lade. tice, if four such wings are provided, which In the drawings forming part of. this specification an aircraft embodying our invention is illustrated diagrammatically and illustratively. 1

1 is a P View of the rotatable sustaining unit,

loo

Fig. 3 is a side elevation partially in section corresponding to Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawin s, m is the hull, body or fuselage of the era t, s is the adjustable brace, is a bearing on the hull or fuselage, and c is a similar-bearing on the adjustable brace. b is a rotatable support shown as a vertical shaft arranged for rotation in these bearings. d, d are four bracket arms extending from the upper end of the shaft 1), and e are horizontal bearings, preferably anti-frictional bearings, mounted on the free ends of the bracket arms d. k and k are the two supports for the wings, 7L1 being a, shaft, spar, or supporting element through two diametrically opposed bearings e and supporting the wings F and F which are mounted thereon with their centers of lift to the rear of the axis of the support. Each wing is initially given a small positive angle of incidence.

The supporting shaft h for the wings F and F which arearranged thereon as described with reference to the other two planes is forked in the middle at :12, embracing the supporting shaft h with sutficient clearance or play to allow the supporting shaft h to be oscillatably adjusted through a suitable angle in both directions before being stopped by the other support h The wings are preferably formedwith airfoil cross-section, as usual and may also be designated as bearing planes, planes, blades, or airfoils.

The operation of this arrangement is as follows:

When the aircraft is ropelled by its propeller (not shown) or y'other means,-the wings will be set rotating,by the air, together with their supporting elements about their common vertical axis 6.

During rotation, the wing which moves forward against the wind, with the wings rotating in a counter-clockwise direction and the -rotor or-rotatablesustaining unit as a whole moving toward the bottom of the sheet,

(the left hand wing F will be imparted a greater lift than the wing F", on the otherside, which is rigidly connected with it and which recedes in the direction of propulsion. The-wing F owing to its center 0f lift 1) being disposed to the rear of the axis of the supporting shaft, will be oscillatably adjust ed to a smaller angle of incidence relative to the direction of flight, whereby the wing F being forced to follow the angular movement the aircraft tilting laterally is substantially avoided.

- We wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shownrand described for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. Aircraft of the gyroplane type comprising a fuselage and two pairs of airfoils,

vertical shaft rotatably mounted on said fuse-. la e, two pairs of horizontal bearings on said shaft, and a pair of rigidly connected airfoils supported in each pair of bearings on longitudinal axes out of registry with the center of pressure of the respective airfoils for angular adjustment as a unit under aerodynamic action, the connection of one pair of airfoils extending across the line connecting the other pair.

3. Aircraft of the gyroplane type comprising a fuselage, a freely rotatable element forming an axis of rotation extending from said fuselage, two pairs of hearings on said element the axial planes of which extend transversely to said element, a pair of shafts,

each shaft being rotatably supported in one of said. pairs of bearings, a connection on one of said shafts extending across to and permitting passage of the other shaft, and a pair of wings rigidly mounted on each shaft on opposite sides of the axis about which axis said shafts can rotate bodily under aerodynamic action.

4. Aircraft of the gyroplane type comprising. a fuselage, a freely rotatable element forming an axis of rotation "extending from said. fuselage, a bracket on said element havinga bearing on either side thereof, the axis of said bearings extending transversely with respect to said element, a shaft rotatably carried in said bearings, and a pair of wings rigidly mounted on said shaft on opposite sides of the first mentioned axisabout which I axis said shaft element and wings can rotate bodily under aerodynamic action and each wing having such slight angular relation to its path of rotation as to secure such aerodynamic rotation.

5. An airplane sustaining element of the gyroplane type including an aerodynami-' cally rotatable support, a pair of arcuately spaced blades of airfoil section the angle of incidence of each of which issuch as to secur'e aerodynamic rotation, each extending substantially radiall of the support and pivoted'on axes extending substantially longitudinally of and through the respective blades but with the greater area of each blade lying behind the radial axis when the leading edge is toward the direction of-rotation of the support so that the center of pressure of 'each blade is normally'out of registry with the pivotal axis of said blade and be ind that axis, and means operatively associated with each blade of the pair whereby the angle of incidence of each blade may be simultaneously varied by aerodynamic action.

6. In aircraft a freely rotatable sustaining element of the gyroplane type, a shaft journaled on the element, airfoils rigidly mounted axially of-and on the shaft and rotatable bodily with the shaft in a fixed path with the greatest area of each airfoil lying behind the axis of the shaft so that lifting pressure on either airfoil imposes torque on the shaft, each airfoil having initially a slight positive angle of incidence relative to the path of rotation and capable of autorotation through aerodynamic reaction and bein so arranged that the positive angle of incidence of one airfoil is increased as the shaft responds to the torque imposed by the other airfoil as lifting pressure moves said other airfoil to decrease its positive angle of incidence under aerodynamic action to equalize the effective lift of both airfoils.

7 In gyroplanes, an aerodynamically ro- 'tatable support, a pair of arcuately spaced blades of airfoil section each extending radially of the support and pivoted respectively on axes of oscillation extending substantially longitudinally of and through the respective blades but with each blade so disposed as to cause the center of lift of the blade to be rearwardly offset from the axis of oscillation of said/blade, said blades having such acute angular relation between their hearings on the unit, the axis of said bearing respective chords as to secure aerodynamic rotation of the system and means operatively associated with said blade whereby the angle of incidence of each blade is simultaneously varied'by aerodynamic action. 8. An airplane including a fuselage, a rotatable unit, bearings on-the unit, the axis of said bearings extending transverselywith re spect to the axis of rotation of the unit, a free and unrestrictedly oscillatable spar carried in said bearings,-and a pair of wings rigidly mounted on said spar on opposite sides of said axis of rotation with the axis of'the bearings extending longitudinally of the wings but out of registry with the respective centers of pressure thereof, the chord of'one wing bearing an acute angular relation to the chord of the other-wing whereby under aerodynamic action the win rotate bodily about the axis ofrotation o the unit and oscillatethe spar to vary the angles of incidence of the respective wings to equalize the effective lift thereof.

9. Aircraft including a rotatable unit,

extending transversely with respect to the axis of rotation ofthe(unit,- an o'scillatable spar carried in said bearings and extending;-, from one side of the axis of the unit to the aerodynamic actlon.

other side, and a pair of win s rigidly mounted on said spar, the shape 0 the wings being in conformity with an angular adjustment of the spar under aerodynamic action and the angle of incidence of the respective wings being such as to secure autorotation under aero ynamic action.

- 11). Aircraft of the gyroplane type com-- 12. In gyroplanes, a porting means having an axis of rotation, a pair of airfoils operatively mounted on said means and having synchronized oscillation freely rotatable supon axes substantially transverse of said axis to change the-angle of the chord of the'blade to" the path of rotation, the chord of each of said airfoils having always such small angular relation to the path of rotation asto secure aerodynamic rotation of the supporting means.

13. In-gyroplanes, a rotatablesupporting" element having an axisof rotation, a pair of spars each oscillatably mounted on the element transversely to each, other and to the axis of rotation, each spar having an. axis of oscillation, both of said a oscillation intersecting-the axis of rotationat substam tially the same point, and airfoils mounted on the extremities of the spars. v

14. In gyroplanes, a rotary wing system comprising a rotatable supporting element having an axis of rotation, earings on the element diametricallyopposed in pairs rela tive to mid axis the axes of all of said hearmgs lyingin 'acommon plane erpendicular' to said Tixis ofrotation, a she mounted in one pair of bearings, blades rigidly mounted on the shaft, :1 secendshaft mounted in an other air ofbearings transversel ofthe first aft, blades rigidly mounted on the second shaft said second shaft having a' section dispose out of axial alignment to avoid intersecting the first shaft.

.In witness whereof, we, the said Rncsnnnn and WALTERKREISER, have hereunto set our. hands at Berlim Germany, this 26th day of May, 1931.

WALTER KREI'SER;

a WALTER RIESELER. 

